The End
by Sweet as a Unicorn
Summary: Someone's been changing the endings to the fairytale stories and taking away everyone's happy endings. The world has been changed. Villains aren't being punished, instead are coming out on top. Something needs to change or evil will continue to rule. AU. SYOC! Closed for now!
1. Exordium

_**Exordium**_

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In a land where fairytales and magic is real, stories used to end with a happily ever after. No princess went without her prince. No villain went unpunished. It was a happy ending for all, strike the villains of course. That was how it always was, but the stories seem to be changing recently. The heroes are not getting their deserved happy endings. Instead the villains seem to be stealing them.

Take for instance the tale of Aladdin. It tells the story of an orphaned street rat named Aladdin in the kingdom of Agrabah. Aladdin had been tricked by the sultan's vizier, Jafar, to steal a magic lamp for him. The plan backfired on Jafar however when Aladdin ended up getting away with the magic lamp and summoning the genie himself. Through the help of the genie name Genie, a magic carpet, and Aladdin's monkey-friend, Abu, Aladdin met the princess of Agrabah, Jasmine. As Aladdin was busy wooing Jasmine, Jafar discovered his secret and stole the lamp. Jafar wished for Aladdin to disappear and for him [Jafar] to be ruler of Agrabah. But the story goes that Aladdin didn't truly disappear and managed to come back to Agrabah and stop Jafar. Aladdin was supposed to live out his life happily with Jasmine, but it had been changed. Aladdin was supposed to come back and stop Jafar, but he couldn't figure out how to. He was stuck in the frozen wasteland he was banished to. He did manage to find his way back to Agrabah, but only years later. By that point Jafar had become such a powerful ruler it would be impossible for Aladdin to defeat him alone. Jasmine had been forced to become the queen consort of Jafar, while her father was a servant.

Then there is the story of Cinderella. We all know how Cinderella grew up underneath the thumb of her evil step-mother, Lady Tremaine, and her two step-sisters, Anastasia and Priscilla. How Cinderella's luck was pretty much in the gutter until one night her fairy godmother helped her out and gave her a chance to woo the prince. Cinderella ends up falling in love with the prince and they get married. That was how it was supposed to be, but the Fairy Godmother never showed. Cinderella never got a chance to even go to the ball, never allowing the prince to meet her. The prince was forced to marry one of the girls who showed up at the ball and that ended up being Priscilla. Cinderella now works as a servant at the castle to her horrible step-sister, now turned queen.

How about the story Snow White? Or the story Mulan? The story of Peter Pan or Beauty and the Beast? Even the story of Alice in Wonderland? They all used to have happy endings, but not anymore. It is becoming a pandemic amongst the fairytale stories. No more happiness, only for the villains. Something needs to change and soon.

* * *

 **So that is the prologue to the story. (Exordium means, in Latin, "the beginning of anything". I was trying to be fancy.) It is obviously set in an AU. I will be accepting a total of ten characters, no more than that. (Spots available are below.) I wanted to take a spin at a type of "What if"-story. There was no uniting the kingdom under Belle and Beast and thus no Isle of the Lost or Auradon. Some of the characters from the movie will be there, in all their brilliance. (Mal, Evie, Carlos, Jay, Doug, and Ben.) The stories I am planning on incorporating in are [obviously] Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, Snow White, and Aladdin, as well as Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Mulan, and Peter Pan. I may add some later; I'm not entirely sure.**

 **EVERYTHING IS CURRENTLY CLOSED!**


	2. Act 1

**Act One  
'Agrabah'**

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"Guards! Thief! Thief!" the merchant's voice cried out.

But it was too late. I was already rounding the corner down the block when he finally realized what had happened and began to call out for help. Sadly for him, I would be long gone by the time the guards would even show up. That was the good thing about being fast; it makes for a quick getaway in times like that.

I jump and dodge people as I continued to race down the streets. No one pays attention to me or tries to stop me. In Agrabah, home sweet home, you don't get involved with things that don't involve you. It is just safer that way. I did get the occasional sideways glance when I rushed past everyone. That was the only thing people would do though. If you even looked too long, you might get involved with something you didn't want to be involved with. That was one of the unwritten rules of Agrabah and people followed it. I didn't care too much as it usually helped me, especially in situations like this one.

The merchant's shouting starts to fade away. That man could shout so loudly, his voice seemed to echo down the streets. But I had put much distance between us quickly I was finally starting to lose him. He wasn't even making an effort to chase after me himself however, only shouting at me to stop. He was relying on the guards to apprehend me. Big mistake there. Never trust the guards.

Even though I stop hearing his voice, I kept running. You cannot be too careful, especially being labeled a thief. Being risky is what gets you caught and getting caught gets you killed. I only stop running after about fifteen minutes or so. I found a safe spot to stop and hide; a rundown building that appeared to be housing a business as well as three families. It was in one of the grungier neighborhoods of Agrabah, so it was to be expected. I was used to it anyway, as they make great hiding places. No one notices a new face in places like that, especially when there are already so many faces to begin with. When I finally stop, I try to catch my breath. Running in the desert heat is tough work. I can only do it for so long before I begin to pant.

I lean against one of the walls and slid down to sit on the dirt floor. I looked around for a bit as I caught my breath. There were few adults inside the back room I was in; only two older females, probably the moms of the families living there. The rest were children, running around and playing games with each other. They were giggling and having fun, too much fun to pay attention to me.

"Safe," I repeated to myself in a low voice. "Good."

That meant I could look at what I grabbed. I pulled off my rucksack from my back and open it. Inside was a shiny metal object. I had only grabbed it because it was shiny. I hadn't had a chance to truly see what it was until then. It turned out to be a pitcher made out of copper. Not as expensive as I had hoped, but it would work. If I sold it to the right person, I could make some money off of it. I placed the pitcher back in the sack and looked up at the ceiling, thinking of what to do next.

"Looks like the ceiling at home," I muttered.

It was the same dirty ceiling I had grown accustomed to over my fourteen years of existent. It was the same in every lower-class home in Agrabah, but it really got me thinking of home. Then I remembered my father. He was probably at home, waiting for me, worried. I knew what I did made him worry, but I was doing it for him to begin with.

My father worked constantly, all night and part of the day. He didn't get much time off because he was working so hard. He got his job, working at the guards' stables, a little before I was born to help support my mom. When I became a toddler, my mom left us. I don't know what really happened, but I have gathered from what little my father would tell me about the situation, she didn't want to keep living poor. Without my mom to help take care of me, my father was left with both trying to take care of me as a single parent and work. I learned at a young age that I couldn't rely on him forever and that I really shouldn't. I wanted to help him so I learned to take care of myself at the first moment I could. I wanted to relieve as much stress on him as possible. Still he had to keep working to help support the both of us. Seeing I was still young, too young to get a job, I turned to stealing and selling what I stole on the underground market. I never told my father what I did to help bring in money, but he quickly figured it out. He doesn't like that I do that, saying it is his job to take care of the family, not the other way around. I continue to do it anyway because I want to help, even though he hates it so much.

Having finally caught my breath and feeling like things have died down a bit, I stood up. I threw on my rucksack and begin to exit the home. As I leave, I caught eyes with one of the younger children. He couldn't be more than seven. My initial reaction whenever I look at someone is always to look away and act like I did not make eye contact. I expect that from everyone. But this kid, this kid did something that threw me through a loop. He smiled and waved. I was a taken back. Even for a kid, I had never seen someone do that in Agrabah. I barely managed to give a small wave back before leaving.

"I guess there is still hope," I whispered walking back to the main road.

Walking on the main road was probably risky, which like I stated before, was not something you wanted to be. But it was the quickest way home. I was planning on selling the pitcher later. Selling recently stolen items could lead you to getting caught, so it was safer to just wait. At the moment, all I wanted to do was get home. I just kept my head down and tried to blend into the crowd. All I had to do was get through without being recognized.

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 **First chapter, here you go. Make sure to review your thoughts. My narrator is one of my OC's, though I haven't stated her name yet. I couldn't think of a fluid way of truly introducing her (it is a 'her'), but I will introduce her next chapter.**

 **I will be introducing OC's constantly throughout the entirety of the story. I may not introduce them right away, but everyone I accepted will be introduced. I do not want to do anything too quickly, as I do not want to bombard you guys with too many characters at once. Speaking of characters, a list of my accepted characters can be found on my profile. I did not message anyone if their characters have been accepted, so if you are curious, check out my profile.  
**

 **Here's this chapter's question for you guys…** _Do you think the narrator should get caught and punished for stealing? Leave your response in the reviews._


	3. Act 2

**Act Two  
'Daddy'**

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Walking on the main road was probably risky and that was not something you wanted to be. But it was the quickest way home. I was planning on selling the pitcher later, so all I had to do was get home. I just kept my head down and tried to blend into the crowd. All I had to do was get through without being recognized. Easier said than done.

"Hey! You!"

It was a guard, shouting at whom else but me.

"Shit! How did they find me?" I snapped.

I quickly whipped around and began to race the other way. I didn't know how they managed to find me, especially after I was so careful. Other than walking on the main road, I did everything by the book. I was so careful that walking on the main road shouldn't have gotten me caught. The guard must have been brushing up on the stealing 101 knowledge.

I ran down the street, trying to avoid everyone. No one was intentionally getting in my way, but there was so many people that the crowd managed to slow me down. It didn't help with trying to get away. The guards were quickly gaining on me.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I shouted as I continued to run.

I never liked the feeling of almost getting caught. It was always too stressful for me. The idea of danger was off-putting. The guards were almost on top of me and the feeling of getting caught was swelling up quickly. All I could seem to do was run and cuss.

"Stop now!" one of the guards ordered.

Like I was going to stop! Especially after already trying to get away; there was no one on the planet that would just give up so quickly. I ignored their commands. It was then I found an escape route open up before my eyes. A horse-drawn wagon filled with hay was set up in front of an alley way. It would be blocking the alley way for a normal person, but thankfully I was not a normal person when it came to obstacles like that. I raced toward the alley and slid down. I skidded against the harsh sandy ground underneath the wagon. I managed to go between the two sets of wheels, though it was a tight squeeze. On the other side I popped up. I wasn't going to give the guards a chance to catch up however, so I kept running. I did throw a glaze back and caught a glimpse of some angry guards. I grinned as I got away.

* * *

My home was nothing more than a hole in a wall to most. They see nothing more than a dirty, rundown, and pretty much trashy place. But to my eyes, I see protection, love, and warmth. I see a place where my father and I live happily together. Sure, it may not be a palace, but it was close enough.

I walked in through the curtain doorway into the single room apartment. I dropped my bag off to the side and got busy. Every day I would do the same thing, which consisted of dragging out the table that we would eat at. During the day it would be pushed against the wall so it would be out of the way. I would then set up the cushions we would sit on and tableware – really just two ceramic cups and plates.

As I was doing my routine, a voice rang out, "I'm home."

"Welcome home, Dad," I greeted. "You're back early."

My father walked into the apartment, a worn-out look plastered on his face. Lately he had been coming home with the same tired expression after work. I was worried that we was working harder than usual. I didn't like seeing him so exhausted. I have heard stories about people dying from fatigue and I worried that he might fall like the people in those stories. He was the only person I had in my life and I couldn't lose that.

My dad smiled when he saw me. It calmed my worries a bit. He had pushed his shaggy black hair out of his face, as if to get a better look at the situation. He looked happy until he noticed my rucksack.

"Aleena, you didn't, did you?" he asked.

"Dad, I-" I went to defend myself, but he cut me off.

"It's against the law to steal," he snapped. "If they catch you, they could cut off your hands."

"But they didn't catch me," I said.

"Doesn't matter if they didn't catch you now, they can still punish you later if they even think you are who they think you are," he said. "If they think you have stolen, the guards have enough power to punish you. You know that."

I didn't respond. I looked down, avoiding eye contact. My father was right. It doesn't matter if you had stolen or not, if the guards thought you had stolen something, they could punish you. The common punishment for such things was chopping off your fingers, or whole hand if you were a repeat offender. I had never been caught, but they would probably chop off my hands if they knew how many times I had stolen.

"I was just trying to help," I mumbled.

"I know, I know, Aleena," my father whispered.

He hugged me. I knew he cared, but he didn't understand. I was stealing to help and if I didn't, we would probably be in worse shape than we already were. He ruffled my hair, messing up my already messy hair.

"Stop it!" I objected, pulling away.

He laughed.

"You look just like your mother," he said.

Something I don't like to be reminded of. My father has told me that before. Apparently my mom had long, wavy brown hair, similar to mine. Though what I remember hers was a darker shade than mine. She also had the same golden eyes and dark tanned skin. I knew I looked like my mom only because I didn't look anything like my father. He had black hair, dark brown eyes, and a lighter tanned skin tone. I had always wished I looked more like my dad.

"I'm sorry," I said. "For stealing."

"I know," he responded as he pulled me into another hug.

I hugged him back, only to have to pull away upon hearing a ruckus at the entrance. It sounded like a bunch of people running. My father turned his attention to the entrance, putting me behind him. Just as he did this, guards swarmed in.

"Aladdin, you have been charged with crimes to the crown," said one of the guards. "You are under arrest."

"No!" I shouted.

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 **So there is the second chapter. I am trying to keep them around 1,000 words each. I know I could do longer, but I think 1,000 words is a good, solid number.**

 **The narrator's name has been revealed. Aleena is the daughter of Aladdin of Agrabah. Aladdin seems to have gone straight from his street rat ways due to his daughter. What a stiff! But that's parenthood for you.**

 **This chapter's question…** _What is going on with Aladdin being arrested? Leave your response in the reviews._


	4. Act 3

_Act Three  
'Plan'_

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I had screamed "No", but that didn't help. Nothing would have, but that didn't stop me from trying. My father had been taken away for no reason. They claimed it was because he committed "crimes against the crown", whatever that meant. Whatever it means, my father did not do it. If it was something illegal, I probably would have, and probably have, done it, but not my father. He was as clean as one could be. So why he was arrested, I didn't know. I was left alone in the apartment, curled on the floor crying. I knew I had to do something, but I couldn't stop crying to think. When someone takes away the only person you care about, you break.

"What do you do now, Aleena?" I mumbled to myself in-between the crying. "You need to make a plan, so come on."

Call me crazy, but talking to myself usually always helped me getting out of my funks.

I sat up, wiping away my tears. My eyes were still really puffy from all the crying, so much so it was hard to see straight. Still, I couldn't let that stop me.

"Okay good," I said, continuing to sit on the floor. "At least you're sitting up. That's a start. Now let's think what you are good at."

The first thing that came to my mind was, of course, stealing. While I wouldn't call myself the best – I had almost been caught quite a few times – I would say I am pretty good at it. So I had the skills associated with stealing on my side, meaning sneakiness, speed, and agility. Nothing else seemed to stick in my mind.

"Well, at least I got that," I muttered.

I rose to my feet, a little unsteady. I leaned against a nearby wall for support. My eyes were starting to go back to normal, though they were tender from crying so hard. I could only imagine how they looked. I began to hobble along the wall to the door. It wasn't helping just staying inside. I decided I would come up with a plan while walking towards the palace, where the dungeons were.

* * *

I kept my head low as I walked along the road. I didn't want to be recognized by any guards – unless they remembered me from the theft this morning or they possibly recognized me by my father – but also I didn't want anyone to see I was crying. Weakness makes you a target here and I didn't need to be targeted at that moment. I had too many other things to worry about.

The only plan I could think of was sneaking into the palace and breaking my father out. It wasn't the safest idea however. My whole life I had been focusing on safety. I made sure to protect my father and myself. I made sure not to put myself in too much risk when stealing. I avoided expensive yet dangerous items and jobs just because I wanted to be safe. I avoided making that extra –much need, I may add – coin just to be safe. But the only plan I could think of was very risky and could easily get both my father and me killed.

"What do I have to lose though?" I asked myself.

Sure, I had my life, but without my father, I felt like that didn't matter. So it was worth the risk.

"I guess that settles it," I whispered.

I continued to walk down the road calmly. I kept a straight face, masking the nervousness I had growing on the inside. All I wanted to do was run to the palace and rush in, but I knew I would be caught before I could even begin to set forth my plan. So I had to just slowly keep walking.

…

It took an hour just to get specifics on the wall that surrounded the palace. I had to make sure that I didn't look suspicious. I didn't want someone to see me stalking around the outside of the palace and arrest me for looking distrustful. So I walked down many different roads, taking short glances at the wall whenever I passed it. That was a perk of being a thief; I was able to retain a whole lot of information about things just from looking at them for a quick second. It did take longer doing it that way, but no one was the wiser.

After getting all the details, I was finally ready to put my plan in action. I knew the dungeons were below the palace, though where exactly, I had no clue. I would have to improvise that part, but it shouldn't be that hard. All I had to do was to get in. Now that was the difficult part. I had to scale the wall, which lingered well over eight feet. I couldn't possibly go through the front gate, so the only other way would be to go over the wall. The problem with that idea is that there were guards constantly on patrol on top of the wall, as well as through the grounds on the inside of the wall. I would have to time it perfectly that no guards would see me climbing the wall, both up and down, and then make sure no one saw me racing to the palace. It sounded difficult and really, it was probably going to be more difficult than it sounded. I was a bit on edge even thinking about it, but I wasn't going to abandon the plan now. I either was going to save my father or die trying.

"Alright, Aleena," I said, slapping my cheeks to wake myself up. "Let's go!"

I had been walking down a small street that led to the palace. It was almost near abandoned, minus a blind beggar that hadn't yet realized that there was no one around to give him any money. And he wasn't about to tell a guard what he saw. It was the perfect environment to go forth with my plan. I leaned against a wall of a building, looking down at my shoes and stuff, trying to look like I was waiting for someone to arrive. When in reality, I was waiting for the guards to space out so I could hop the wall.

The guards didn't seem to care about me. I mean, I was only a fourteen year old kid after all. I was small and a weakling. I looked pretty unintimidating at first glance. So to the guards, I wasn't much of a concern. If you asked any of the people I had stolen from, I bet they would disagree. That small frame I had which made me look so undaunting actually would become an advantage when stealing. It allowed me to get in and out of situations that normal people would have difficulty with. They didn't know how intimidating I truly was.

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 **So I didn't know how I was going to write this at first, but I got it down. I was actually on a roll, so much so that I wrote out the next few chapters while I was at it. I won't update them right this moment, but expect some constant update the next couple of days.**

 **This chapter's question…** _Is Aleena rushing in or do you think she is truly thinking this out? Leave your responses in the reviews.  
_


	5. Act 4

_**Act Four  
'Youngling'**_

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The guards didn't seem to care about me as much as I cared about them. I had to time this perfectly or I would surely fail. There was a quick few seconds between the first guards leaving the area and the second guard arriving. In those few seconds, no one would be able to see me hoping the wall.

"Andddd…" I whispered so only I could hear it.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as the first guard walked away, leaving me the perfect opportunity to go. I rushed from my spot of leaning against a building to the base of the wall. It was perfectly smooth, something I had notice during my original look at the wall while gathering info. The smoother a surface, the harder it was to climb. It was a kind of "no-dip" thing. When stealing, I usually would try to avoid climbing because I knew I wasn't the strongest at it. I was basic to say the least. So a smooth wall was a bit of a scary thought at first. I had to remind myself over and over that I needed to climb the wall to help my father.

I didn't stop when I reached the base of the wall. The trick to climbing smoother surfaces was to have a bit of momentum when starting them. If you started them from standing still, you would have more issues and wouldn't get it done in time. So I sped up to the wall, which helped get me about four feet from the ground. The rest was up to me to find enough hold to get up the other four feet. I kept putting my hand over my hand as I scaled the wall. While it was only a second or two, it felt like everything was taking forever. I felt like I was going in slow-motion. They say when you're panicking, you feel like this, but I never thought it to be true until now. I was going through just that.

Suddenly I could hear the second guard's footsteps approaching. They were a ways a bit, but would be on top of me in no time. I was already half way up the wall, if I dropped down now, I wouldn't get back to my spot I was leaning, so I would be caught either way. I had to get over the wall. I bit my lip and, with some dumb luck, made it to the top of the wall. I didn't have time to rejoice however, as the guard was going to spot me any second. I began to lower myself down the other side of the wall, when I felt my hands getting clammy. I could feel sweat beginning to coat them so badly, my grip was loosening. I didn't have time to react before I fell backwards.

It was an eight foot drop to my back. Thankfully a bush broke my fall, but I still got hurt. Instead of breaking a bone, I just ended up bruising myself all over. I rolled over into another bush and hid. It was then the second guard passed. I had managed to hide just in time.

"Well this is off to a good start," I commented on my bruised back.

At least I could walk. And that I did. I had to keep moving. There was no going back now. I slipped in and out from behind bushes and trees as I inched closer to the palace. There weren't as many guards as I had originally imagined there was going to be on the palace grounds. I guess you could say I had always imagined the palace to be coated with guards. I had always heard stories that there was so many of them. Really, only the wall was coated in guards. There were at best five guards monitoring the grounds. So it was easier to get through then I had initially thought. With a bruised everything, it was pretty nice.

I managed to get to a palace entrance without being notice and I slipped in. It appeared to be a side entrance, most likely used by staff to get around the palace without being noticed by the nobles. On the other side of the door was what looked to be a kitchen, however no one was in it. It had a stove, many tables, even some food and ingredients scattered across said tables. Yet there were no other humans to be seen.

"What the hell?" I wondered.

It was a bit scary to walk into a place that looked like it should have many people rushing about it. I mean, it was convenient for me that there wasn't, but still… Scary.

I moved across the room, being sure not to touch anything. I didn't know what would happen if I wasn't careful; if I was to be caught or even cursed to wherever the people that once occupied this room had gone. I reached the door on the other side of the room and I went to open it when it opened by itself. I panicked but did not have enough time to react. On the other side of the door, the one opening it was a young girl.

* * *

 **Not as long as my normal chapters. The next chapter won't be very long either. I hope however the aspect of introducing a new character is enough for you guys that it not being the normal length won't matter. I will introduce the "young girl" next chapter, but I am pretty sure a few of you can already guess who it is; especially if you have either read the cast list or submitted her.**

 **This chapter's question…** _How do you think the "young girl" is going to respond to Aleena's presence? Leave your responses in the reviews._


	6. Act 5

_**Act Five  
'Doors'**_

* * *

The door in front of me had opened and on the other side of it was a young girl. She had to be no older than eleven. Even though she was just a kid, she was beautiful. She had long, ebony hair tied back in a sectioned ponytail. A few strands fell loose and framed her heart-shaped face that housed her rather dark black eyes. She was puny however, which reminded everyone she was still just a child. She stood well beneath me, which was saying something, seeing as I myself was short for my age. She had a very small figure, though it could have been also because she had yet to hit her growth spurt. Either way, she was a very pretty kid and she was staring straight at me.

We stood there, silent, staring at each other. I didn't know what to say or how to act. I was expecting, if I was going to get, it would be by a guard, not a kid. But here we were, standing awkwardly.

"Are you part of the help?" she asked, her voice matching her tiny appearance.

I didn't react at first, until I realized I had been given a way out.

"Ah, yes. Yes, I am," I said.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, a bit suspicious.

I didn't know where the help was to begin with, so I didn't know "where I was supposed to be".

"Shouldn't you be with the others getting the throne room ready for the party?" she asked.

A party? I hadn't heard anything about a party on the streets. Usually anything big going down at the palace would be easily known on the streets, so I would have heard about it. I didn't know how they managed to keep this party quite or why, but that was my issue right then. I had to focus on rescuing my father.

"Why do you keep spacing out?" the girl asked.

"Uh, oh!"

I had just realized I was starting to zone out while thinking. I was going to get my cover blown.

"You know, if you don't hurry up you're going to get in trouble. Daddy can be mean when angry, too," she said.

 _Daddy?_ If she was speaking of who I was thinking of that meant this girl was the daughter of the sultan. That meant she was a princess. I had been talking to the princess.

"Wait, why are you here?" I asked without thinking. "You don't belong in the kitchen."

The girl blushed, as if I caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to. I had realized I just called out a princess while I was supposed to be lying low.

"Oh, I apologize-" I went to say, but the princess interrupted me.

"It's no problem. You're right, I am not supposed to be here. I was just hoping I could sneak some corn out to feed the peacocks in the garden," she said, hanging her head.

If it wasn't bad enough that I called out a princess, I made her feel guilty about wanting to feed some birds. I was just a big bag of risk today.

"Alright, alright," I said. "I got a deal for you. You won't say anything about me not being in the throne room and I won't say anything about some missing corn."

I gave the princess a small smile. She lifted her head and noticed my smile. She gave a huge smile in return.

"Deal!" she said.

She ran over to where I would assume the corn was and I rushed out of the room. Only a few minutes in and I had already run into royalty. This was not going well.

The good thing about everyone setting up for a party in the throne room was that no one was really wandering the halls. The occasional person would be in the halls to go get something, but they wouldn't question me. They were all too busy focusing on their current assignment to worry about me walking through the hallways.

After a couple hours wandering the halls, I found a staircase leading down. It was well hidden, so I could only assume it led somewhere in which people shouldn't go. I hoped it was the dungeons.

"The first I ever wanted to go to jail," I thought aloud. "Let's hope this is a onetime thing."

I walked down the winding staircase, chary in case someone might come up. I don't know how it was possible, but everywhere I went was sparse of people. The staircase was no different. No one was there and it appeared I was safe. At the bottom of the staircase was a small landing with a single door. This door wasn't fancy at all, especially compared to the doors that littered the hallways above. This one was simply wooden planks improvising a door. They were held together by some thick hemp rope. I could hear voices from behind it. I didn't think behind the door was the prison as soon as I started to hear laughing. There was a crack between two of the boards that I looked through. On the other side, I almost gasped at what I saw.

* * *

 **Like I previously stated, not as long as my normal chapter for this story. I hope that is fine. We met a new OC. I haven't given her name yet, but this won't be the last you see of her, so expect to learn it soon enough. I let it on a bit of a cliff hanger. As you can tell, I seem to like to do that. I don't even realize half the time. Bit of info on me, but I hate most cliff hangers. I really have a love-hate relationship with them. I hope you guys don't mind them however.**

 **This chapter's question…** _Who do you think is on the other side of the door? Leave your responses in the reviews._


	7. Act 6

_**Act Six  
'Problems'**_

* * *

I had heard laughing; nothing more than a sort of cackle. It was terrifying. Looking through the crack in the door, I let out a silent gasp at what I saw. There was a tall, thin man laughing in the middle of a large, circular room. I had never seen him before, but from his fancy clothing and the large turban sitting on his head, I could tell he was definitely royalty and most likely the sultan. Whenever I heard people talking about the sultan, I always imagined him to be different. Like the face… This man had a large, thin face with equally long features, he was surely intense. I imagined the sultan as intense and all, but to a bit more plump and full. I always thought the rich, having the availability to eat, would show it. Anyway, it wasn't him laughing that got me, but what he was laughing at, or should I say who. Kneeling in the middle of the room, chained and beaten, was a broken down figure. Their face was badly bruised from the apparent beatings they had received, but I could easily tell who they were. It was my father.

I covered my mouth, stopping myself from shouting out and getting caught. If I got caught now, I wouldn't be any help.

"You're so easy to deal with now," laughed the sultan. "Not like you were all those years ago."

I didn't understand what he meant by that. My father knew the sultan, but how?

"You were truly a rat back then, sneaking and squirming into places you weren't supposed to be," the man said, striding over to where my father was. "It was truly annoying!"

He snapped then hit my father with the golden scepter clear across the head. I bit my thumb to conceal the shriek I wanted to let out. My father was being beaten before my eyes and I couldn't do anything about it.

"J-Jafar, I h-have left you alone all t-these years," my father manage to stutter out. "Why are y-you doing this n-now?"

The sultan, I guess named Jafar from what my father said, just sneered. He clearly wasn't as happy as he was when I first found them. He began to circle my father, like a tiger sizing up its prey.

"L-let me go, please. I b-beg of you," my father continued.

"I like that, you begging. It truly befits you," Jafar stated. "I know it has been years… How many? Fifteen? Sixteen? But you know, some things are not forgiven over time. You tried to defeat me all those years ago. A meddling street rat trying to destroy my chance, my God-given right, to the throne of Agrabah!"

My father considered a street rat? I couldn't imagine, but then again, I couldn't imagine him trying to defy the sultan.

"You have a family, right? The guards said you have a daughter," Jafar said. "Maybe after I destroy you, I'll get rid of her, too."

My father's face cringed, though it was hard to make out from all the snoot and blood that covered his bruised up face from all the hits he had taken before I got there.

"Stay away from her!" my father snapped.

Jafar didn't take kindly to this and struck my father again with that dang scepter.

"Why are you doing this now?" my father asked again.

Jafar kneeled down in front of my father.

"Because HE said you were still a threat and I do not take threats lying down," he said.

I watched silently as this happened before me, neither knowing there was a witness to these events. I was so focused on not letting my presence be known, I didn't notice the figure sneaking up behind me. I only realizing I wasn't alone when their hand slipped over my mouth. The small, feminine hand pulled me back away from the door. I whipped around, ready to fight even though I hadn't fought a true fight ever in my life, though I stopped immediately when I saw a dainty woman staring at me. Though dark I could easily make out her black hair tied back in a braid with a few strands falling to form a little bit of bangs. Her bangs framed her small, but tough-looking face with her large, flat brown eyes and straight expression. She quickly put her finger to her mouth to gesture for me to be quiet, which I comply with. I didn't know who she was, but she processed a face I trusted. It look weathered and aged, but still trusting enough.

I looked back at the door, still hearing Jafar's muffled voice as he tortured my dad.

"Who are you?" asked the lady.

I looked back at her, all while debating whether or not I should respond. If it was anyone else, I would remain silent and refuse all tries to communicate. But something about her made me want to trust her.

"My name is Aleena," I said, not fully understanding why I was telling her this.

"Aleena?" she parroted, followed by a long pause. "You know the man in there?"

"Which one? Jafar, no. But the other, yes," I answered.

Even if I trusted her enough to tell her my name, I wouldn't tell her that Aladdin was my father. If she had any relations to Jafar, I would be in even more danger than I would be just being caught down there. The lady raised an eyebrow before continuing.

"How do you know him?" she asked.

That was the question I was avoiding. I broke eye contact with her as she desperately tried to push me for answers.

"How?" she asked.

Suddenly the room went silent. The air thickened really quickly when neither of us heard Jafar anymore. The lady seemed particularly scared upon hearing the quiet and grabbed my hand.

"Hurry," she said, pulling me quickly up the stairs.

I hadn't run so quickly ever in my life than I did that moment. We managed to make it halfway up the stairs before even half a minute passed. I heard the door below us twice, what I assumed to be opening and closing. I didn't hear any footsteps following us, so I also assumed to be at least safe from Jafar. Whether or not I was safe with this lady was a completely different story.

* * *

 **So most of you guys guessed wrong with it being Jasmine in the room, but I am guessing you guys all know who the lady is, despite Aleena not knowing her identity yet. May look a bit different from how we remember her as, but her personality is still the same.**

 **ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! First off, Thursdays will now be the official "The End" update day! Come back every Thursday for a new chapter. Also, a poll is up on my profile. Check it out and vote as it will determine the short SYOC story I am about to start (short as in will probably be less than 20 or so chapters).**

 **This chapter's question…** _How do you think Aleena is going to save her father now? Also, bonus question, what do you think the party is for? Leave your responses in the reviews. *Remember, I would also love to hear your thoughts on the story, even if you don't answer the questions. Just leave a review._


	8. Act 7

_**Act Seven  
'Children'**_

* * *

We finally stopped when we were far enough away from the staircase and the room. I still didn't know who this lady was, yet there was something I felt I trust about her. She did lead me to safety when it came to getting away from Jafar. Actually, I didn't know if "safety" was the right word. I didn't know if I was truly safe where I was. All I knew was that I was safe from Jafar at the moment.

I thought, if I could truly trust this woman, should tell her that Aladdin was my father? I wondered if she could help me free him. But could I trust her? She was in the castle, freely walking around. That mixed with the fact her clothes, which I was just start to notice, were incredibly nice. It appeared she actually lived there in the palace. And if she lived in the palace, was she trustworthy or was she just another pawn to Jafar?

Suddenly, as I was deep in my thoughts, the lady stopped, in turn causing me to stop as she pulled on my arm. I gave my head a quick shake to "shake" my mind back to reality. I looked at her as she gave me a panicked look.

"Now, tell me. How do you know that man down there?" she repeated.

I remained silent. As she looked at me, pleading for an answer, I couldn't figure out what I should say. I just stared at her. Looking at her face, it felt strange. I felt like I had met her before, but I didn't truly know her. Something was recognizable about her.

"Aleena," she said.

"I'm related to him," I finally answered.

I didn't want to say I was his daughter. After hearing Jafar threatening my father using me as leverage, I wasn't about to go waving around our connections so willy nilly.

"How?" she asked.

"Just related," I responded. "Eh, you know my name, yet I don't know you. Why do you think I could trust you with any more information than that?"

The lady paused. It was like this logic just hit her in the head.

"My name is Jasmine," she slowly spoke. "I can't tell you any more than that… For now. But you have to trust me for now."

"And why should I trust you?" I asked.

"Because you want to help Aladdin, am I right?" she asked. After a long pause with me just hanging my head in response, she continued, "I want to help him, too."

"Mom!" Mom!"

Before we could talk anymore, we were interrupted by a sudden cry. I knew that voice well enough, even though I had only met the owner once. The high pitched shrill sounded awfully like the cheery tone from the young girl I had met in the kitchen. Her voice was coming from around a nearby corner and was getting closer.

"I cannot be seen," I said without thinking who I was speaking to.

Still, it seemed Jasmine agreed. She gestured to a window. It was framed in satiny red drapes that came well to the floor. As if reading her mind, I darted behind the curtains just in time. The girl ran out from around the corner and cried out as soon as she saw Jasmine.

"Mama!" the girl cried, running into Jasmine's arms.

 _Mama?_ I thought. Jasmine was this girl's mother. If what I deduced early was correct, then this girl was the daughter of Jafar. Meaning if this girl's father was Jafar and her mother was… That meant Jasmine was married to Jafar! And I trusted her!

"What is it, Lalita?" Jasmine asked, kneeling down to the young girl's level.

"Jay yelled at me again," the girl, Lalita, answered.

I didn't know what was going on. I was still reeling from the information I trusted someone "close" to Jafar. I mean, in Agrabah, the sultan has concubines instead of wives, and can have many of them. So Jasmine was probably one of many, but still she was married to Jafar and close enough to get me into trouble. Everything was coming at me way too quickly, I couldn't stand it.

"Why was he yelling at you?" asked Jasmine.

"Well… Um…" Lalita stuttered, obviously not wanting to answer the question.

"What did you do that made him yell at you?" Jasmine asked again, this time raising an eyebrow at the obviously guilty girl.

"I may have taken something I wasn't supposed to," Lalita muttered.

"Seriously, Lalita," Jasmine said with a sigh. She gently placed her hand on her daughter's cheek and continued, "What did I say about stealing?"

"But-" Lalita went to interject, but her mom beat her to it.

"No "buts"," Jasmine said. "I don't like you stealing."

"Are you crying to your mommy again?"

A new voice joined the conversation; a stern one that even sent shivers down my back. From around the same corner Lalita had just arrived from came a new face. This one seemed like one I didn't want to know.

* * *

 **I'm sorry it was so short. I was not well last Thursday. I am feeling a bit better, but still not my best. I think I came down with the flu and it has been going in and out. If I am not well by Thursday, it will be another short chapter. I hope I am well enough to write by then, but only time can tell. No question for this chapter, but still feel free to write a review. Tell me what you think of the story so far. I know it feels a bit quick. Yes, the pace is quickening up, we are getting close to the climax of this arc. That is all I will say for now. Until next time.**


	9. Act 8

**I'm sorry. I thought I updated Wednesday with the chapter before I fell asleep and it appears I did not. I don't seem to be getting back into the swing of things after being sick. My bad. But I am better now, so longer chapter this time.**

* * *

 _ **Act Eight  
'Like Father…'**_

* * *

A harsh, annoyed voice joined the party. I ducked further back behind the curtain, making sure every part of myself was covered. While I could get away with Lalita being unobservant, but this person, their voice made them sound too intimidating. I don't know if they would be perceptive or not, but I wasn't going to take the chance and face their ire.

I peeked from around the curtain, only allowing a single eye to look through. As I did so, I got a look of the owner. A male no older than me, though that was only a feeling I had. His face seemed youthful, but everything else screamed maturity. He stood well above everyone else with muscles like I have only seen on the box carriers. With his fancy clothes on, one could definitely mistake him for an adult from behind. It was only through his face that I could tell he was around my age, if not just a bit older.

"Jay, that is inappropriate," Jasmine scolded him.

The boy, Jay, scoffed. He showed no respect to Jasmine.

"Oh, shut up," Jay responded. "Stop trying tell me what to do."

Jasmine winced at Jay's response. It didn't look like she particularly liked Jay. I could only imagine why. But Lalita… She didn't seem scared at all. Instead she seemed sad.

"I wasn't running to my mom," Lalita argued.

"Then why are you here? With her?" asked Jay.

Lalita bit her lip.

"I tell you to stop doing things you're not supposed to do and just play with your stupid peacocks," Jay said. "And you begin to cry?"

Jay's face, which was originally in a scowl, lightened up, if by just a bit. Lalita took notice of this and seemed to relax a little bit, though was still crying. I didn't know the relationship between the two, but they had to be close. I was tired of assuming people's rank here in the castle, but I was seemingly getting them right at just a glance. If my trend continued, that would mean, just by looks, this _Jay_ was also a royal. And if logic served me right, that would mean he had some relation to Jafar; probably being one of his children, along with Lalita.

"Seriously, Lali," Jay said.

Upon hearing her nickname, Lalita wiped her eyes of all tears and began to smile. Jay gave a small smile at Lalita, while Jasmine looked away. It seemed that Jasmine and Jay did not have a good relationship at all. Jasmine was a bit frightened of Jay, while Jay showed only disrespect towards her.

Suddenly Jay frowned. Neither at Lalita nor Jasmine instead frowned while looking at nothing. Or at least that is what I initially thought. I didn't have enough reaction speed when Jay quickly turned toward my hiding place and pulled away the curtain. I felt like I had just been caught with all my clothes off. That naked feeling that you get when you're caught at a vulnerable time, you know that? Well, that's it. Jay grabbed a hold of my wrist and pulled me out.

"Do we have a spy?" he asked.

I silently cursed myself for being caught twice in one day. This boy however was quicker than even I could imagine. I prided myself on my timing and reaction speed, yet even if I had been paying attention to every single breath and eye twitch, I wouldn't even be able to keep up with this guy. He was that fast. And that scared me.

Jasmine went to say something, but Lalita cut her off before she could even say anything.

"Oh, it's you!" Lalita cried out.

Jay raised an eyebrow and looked at the girl.

"You know her?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Lalita said with a nod.

She didn't appear to want to mention how we met. I knew she wasn't supposed to be in the kitchen when I first met her. It was that which probably was allowing me not to get into trouble now. Still, Jay didn't loosen his grip.

"You still shouldn't be here," he said to me.

Lalita shook her head and wretched my arm from his group. Jay's brown eyes opened with great surprise.

"No! She is my friend! She can be wherever I am," she declared.

Even Jasmine was surprised my Lalita's sudden statement. She tried to keep her composure, but I could see come of her shock coming through. Jay's mouth gaped open a bit before he realized he was doing so. When he finally realized he needed to respond, he closed his mouth and regain his poise.

"Lalita, how do you know her?" Jay asked.

"I just do, thank-you," Lalita said. "I have a friend. Shouldn't be all that matters?"

"Dad isn't going to be happy knowing you brought in a peasant to play _friends_ with," Jay said, putting an emphasis on the "friends" portion.

I didn't know what I was angrier about, the peasant-portion or the insinuation of falsifying the friendship. Sure, both were correct; I was a peasant and Lalita and I were not friends. But how dare he even say it like that. I took hold of Lalita's hand, to which she looked at me and smiled. I didn't know why she was covering for me, but I was going to take the way out.

"Okay, so what's her name?" asked Jay, his irritation rising.

Lalita paused, not knowing what to say. Of course she didn't know my name. We never truly introduced ourselves to one another. But if she said she didn't know, Jay would see through the lie. He was already practically seeing through it. I could only hope that Lalita would say something soon before I would get arrested on the spot.

"Benama," Lalita finally said after what felt like minute – really only seconds had passed.

"Benama?" Jay repeated, unconvinced

I nodded with conviction. Benama? Horrible name if it were true, but I had to give credit to Lalita for at least thinking of something.

"Well, Benama," Jay said, glaring at me. I did not let go of Lalita's had. "Since you are Lalita's friend, you can come to the throne room."

"She can come to the party?" Lalita asked.

"I don't think that is appropriate," said Jasmine, finally stepping in.

"It's not your call," said Jay to the woman.

Jasmine fell back a bit, but kept at it.

"Your father will not be happy with her presence," she continued.

"I'm pretty sure Dad will be happy that Lalita has a friend," said Jay. "Or are you doubting Dad's wish for Lalita's happiness?"

Jay sneered at Jasmine, knowing he had won. Lalita took no notice of this and was just as happy as can be. She tugged me along towards the throne room, or at least where I assumed it would be – due to all the servants constantly going that way when I walked through the hallways earlier. Jay followed close behind us. I could feel his eyes burning through my back. Jasmine followed up the back. I only managed to get a quick glance at her when we were turning a corner. She looked panicky. I knew this wasn't part of whatever plan she had thought up. She looked like she was trying to think up another one quickly. If she really wanted to help my father and me, I wished she would come up with a plan soon.

* * *

 **Longer chapter this time. We finally met a canon character. I know Jay sounds a bit "douchey" right now. Please, just deal with it for now and blame his dad. We get to act nine next chapter and get all the characters we know so far in one place. How will Aladdin act when seeing Aleena in the palace? Will Jafar recognize Aleena? And if he does, what will Jay do? Not to mention, why did Lalita help out Aleena and what is Jasmine thinking up**

 **Also, I am going to be wrapping up this arc of the story (all about Aladdin/Jafar) around the 15th of October, if my calculations are correct. When I finish up the arc, this story will go on a temporary hiatus for about two or three months before I start up the next arc. It may seem like it is far away, but let me tell you that days can sneak past you. Start leaving comments in the reviews of who you want to see next. They may end up having the next arc revolve around them.**


	10. Act 9

**I am going to move this story to every other Thursday. So next chapter should come about October 1st. Sorry but I have reasons. I will still be updating though. I'll be wrapping up the arc a bit later than, but it will be done by the end of October.**

* * *

 _ **Act Nine  
'Jafar'**_

* * *

Against my will really, I was dragged to the throne room. The walk there was only about five minutes, but those five minutes were horrible. Jasmine remained silent as Lalita pulled me along. Jay continued to stare daggers at me. I wanted to snap at him to stop looking at me – oh how I wanted to snap at him – but the off-chance of him figuring out I was not who I claimed to be made me stay quiet. I just bit my lip as I held back all my thoughts from escaping my mouth.

The throne room was huge… and completely empty. I had thought with as many people "preparing" the room, it would have more to it. All there was to it were the dark, blood-red walls and the golden throne. And the only people inside was the four of us.

 _Where are all those servants?_ I wondered. _And what were they doing in here?_

"Where's Dad?" asked Lalita.

"Like I would know," said Jay. "We just need to wait."

Jay leaned against a nearby wall and continued to look uninterested. Jasmine looked at me, obviously wanting to say something, but remained silent. She wouldn't be able to say anything anyway, not with Jay and Lalita so close by. Lalita let go of my hand and walked over to the wall beside Jay. Despite him being so cruel, she always looked at him with such adoring eyes. I didn't like him. I don't know how Lalita could look at him so affectionately. I guess it was because he was her brother, but if he was my brother, I would still probably hate him. I just stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Benama, why are you just standing there?" asked Jay – well more like snapped.

He looked over at Lalita and I realized what he meant. I don't know why he was telling me this, but he was telling me to stick close to Lalita. I didn't wish to argue with him, especially when he was giving me good advice – for some reason. I walked over and sat down on the floor beside Lalita. She didn't really notice; just continued to look at Jay and was trying to mimic his behavior.

Suddenly a side door crashed open and the man I definitely did not want to see. The wicked man… Jafar strode in. He didn't notice me at first, putting all his attention on Jay at first.

"Good to see you have arrived on time," Jafar said, smirking at his son.

"Of course," Jay said. "I finished my work, by the way."

"I suspect everything has arrived safely in the storage room," suggested Jafar.

They spoke in hushed voices, so low that people like Lalita and Jasmine – people with normal hearing – would not be able to hear them. I had built up my hearing after straining for so many years to hear people's secrets, trying to plan when to strike, or footsteps of those trying to sneak up on me.

"I got everything you asked of me," said Jay. "No one even knew I was there. They will be surprised when they cannot find their stuff."

I held back a gasp; causing my lip to bleed from the force I was biting it at. Jay was a thief, something I was surely not expecting. I don't think anyone would think a royal would steal stuff, while at least not literally speaking. From the way Jafar sounded, it made me believe like Jay was stealing much more than money, but people's actual valuables. Jay said this stuff to Jafar with a flat expression, not showing any emotion like he had with Jasmine, Lalita, even to me.

Jafar's eyes wandered however as he spoke to Jay and met mine within an instance.

"Who is that?" asked the sultan.

He glared at me, causing me to shake a bit. I could only hope he didn't see my tremor.

"That is Lalita's friend, Benama," Jay responded.

I could hear him follow it up with a whisper, "And a friend of mine to… She helps."

Jafar raised an eyebrow to this information. I couldn't tell if he believed this or not. I could assume he didn't, but really there was a chance he might. It was only based on his interpretation of Jay's excuse.

"Lalita," Jafar called out.

"…Yes?" Lalita said following a long silence.

She didn't meet Jafar's strong glace. I kept facing her, trying to give her strength, but it seemed like she wasn't gaining anything. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jasmine looking away, terrified.

"You know better than to bring someone in the palace without permission," Jafar lectured. "I will allow this Benama to stay for now, but you will be punished."

Lalita nodded and looked down. I wanted to shout at him for those lies. He knew that Jay was just as much to blame for me as Lalita was, based on Jay's story. Yet he put all the focus on Lalita. It irritated me that someone so young as Lalita was being acted as the scapegoat.

"Benama," Jafar said, causing me to look at him. I looked him in the eyes. Mistake. "You shall remain here for now. You are trusted by Jay, so that means something."

I nodded, receiving a smirk from Jafar in response. I caught a glance at Jay, who looked at me with a worried expression.

"We are having a party today!" Jafar suddenly exclaimed.

Jay looked at his sudden chipper father and a look of concern spread across his face.

"May I ask as to why we are celebrating?" he asked.

Jafar looked at his son with much energy. The sultan was happy so much that it was terrifying. I want to look away, but I was afraid what he might do if I did so. He looked that menacing.

"I finally will win," Jafar responded.

He gestured to a soldier who had at some point appeared in the throne room without a sound. The soldier opened a hidden door, which allowed for a body to be dragged in. I held my breath when I saw the body. They were still breathing; thank god. I held back tears as I saw my father being dragged in.

* * *

 **There is the end of this chapter. Again, I won't be updating next week, but the week afterwards. I will still be updating "** _ **The Lost**_ **" and "** _ **The Struggle of the Fiends**_ **" weekly however. Also, the chapter question is back!**

 **This chapter's question…** _What do you think Jafar is planning to do with Aladdin? Also, what will Aleena [Benama] do now that she is so close to her father?_


	11. Act 10

**If you enjoy submitting characters for SYOC's, please read the AU at the end.**

 **Also, only two more acts/chapters until the end of this arc!**

* * *

 _ **Act Ten  
'Father'**_

* * *

I held my breath when I saw the body the guard had dragged out; holding back tears as I looked unto my father's collapsed body. He was very much wounded from whatever I could imagine Jafar did to him, so when I saw him breath, I felt a sense of relief. I wanted to set him free and for him never to have been hurt, but the fact he was still alive was taking some, just a little, stress from my table. Jafar looked proud as he stood over my father. I don't think anyone in Agrabah would think their sultan could process such a look of insanity.

"I will finally end this!" Jafar shouted.

His twisted grin quickly dropped into a menacing grimace. The complete 180 in emotions was a definite fright to behold. I shrunk against the wall. Lalita, who was standing beside me, looked at her father with such a terrified expression. Even Jay was a bit taken back by his father. I had to wonder what sort of father would do such horrifying things in front of his own children. Not a good one, that was for sure. From the moment I saw Jafar striking my father, I knew he wasn't good. But this just pushed my feeling into clear certainty about him. Jafar was far from good; he was in fact a villainous being.

"What do you think you are doing?!"

A voice piped up from the background. The once quiet Jasmine had spoken up, causing all of us to look at her. She was clearly shaken, but had found some hidden courage deep inside of her that allowed her to recover her voice. She stood up as straight as she could and looked Jafar straight in the eyes.

"We had a deal!" she shouted.

A deal? I didn't have an inkling of what she could be talking about, though it sounded like the deal mentioned happened long ago. Not even Jay or Lalita appeared to know what she was talking about. But Jafar, oh Jafar, he clearly understood what she meant. His narrowed eyes relaxed just a bit and looked back at Jasmine's with a pure look of irritation.

"That deal became null-and-void when he returned to dethrone me," Jafar said, pointing at my father.

"He didn't return to dethrone you, Jafar," said Jasmine. "He came back–"

"Silence!" Jafar interrupted in a grand command. "I do not listen to you!"

His eyes that were once black as coal turn a bright, radiating yellow. He raised his staff and aimed it at Jasmine. The snake at the head of his staff – a cobra – opened its mouth as its eyes turned red. A beam of red light, something that looked almost like fire, shot out straight at Jasmine. She didn't have time to dodge or react at all and was hit square in the chest. The shot sent her flying back into a wall.

"Mama!" Lalita cried, racing to Jasmine's side.

Jay turned to his father, a look of pure terror wiped across his face. He gasped for words, finally just going with the obvious question.

"What's wrong with you?" Jay asked.

Jafar turned to his son, keeping the same pissed off look he had given Jasmine.

"Nothing is wrong with me," he said, his now-yellow eyes flashing. "I have just been granted my full power."

"This isn't right," Jay said. "Stealing is one thing. But hurting people who have done nothing. Jasmine and this man… This isn't you."

Jafar glared at his son.

"You don't know me," Jafar said, aiming his staff at Jay.

Shit… is all I thought as I lunged at Jafar. I guess he wasn't expecting "Benama" to do anything. I was really expecting to do that myself. I wished I could have helped with Jasmine and I didn't. So I wasn't going to sit back and allow it to happen to another. Besides if he got rid of Jay, Jafar would most likely be aiming at my father next.

My body hit the older man at full force, knocking him to the ground and his staff out of his hands. I rolled off of him and darted from the staff that had been flung across the room. I wasn't going to let him get a hold of it again. I went to run for it, but Jafar reached out and grabbed my ankle. I fell flat on my face, hitting the titled floor with a great might. I could sense him getting up to go retrieve his staff. I tried to get up, but I was to disordered after hitting the ground to make sense of which way was up at the time.

"Stupid girl," I heard Jafar mutter as he passed me.

"No!"

This time the shout came from Jay. I looked up and could make him out holding the staff.

"Give me the staff, Jay!" ordered Jafar.

"You are not my father," said Jay. "What is going on?"

Jay looked at Jafar with such seriousness, but Jafar didn't return the emotion. The man just looked extremely pissed off at his son.

"Shut up and give me my staff!"

* * *

 **Jafar is crazy for a reason. He isn't just out of character for no reason. Here's a hint: the yellow eyes. By the way after this arc, I plan on going either to Beauty & the Beast or Little Mermaid. That leads me to…**

 **This chapter's question…** _Which arc do you want next; Beauty & the Beast or the Little Mermaid?_

* * *

 **IMPORTANT UPCOMING SYOC INFORMATION**

 **I have a poll on my profile, which will be present until October 24** **th** **. It will be helping choose the next story I do. This new story will replace "The End" in the lineup. This story will be finishing up its first arc come end of October as you all know by now. While it will be coming back in January, I will be starting a new story. The choices are between a** ** _Kingdom Hearts_** **story, a** ** _Winx_** **story, and a** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **story. The popular choice will be picked and characters will be accepted from October 24th to Halloween (31st). The story will then premiere on November 1st. Remember to vote for your favourite if you haven't already and to continue reading** ** _The End_** **in the meantime. :)**

First idea is a Kingdom Hearts story titled **_Kingdom Hearts Debut._** It is based in the fictional Florida town, Perdu, in 2002. The first Kingdom Hearts game is just coming out, but instead of the PS1 game we all know, it is a computer mmorpg. The story focuses on a group of players trying to figure out the secret of the game, while trying to balance their social lives as well.

 ** _OR_**

The second idea is a Winx story titled **_Fly Free From Me._** It is based in 1985, near the end of the golden age of arcade games. The world is greeted with the first game of its kind, a virtual reality mmorpg. Only a couple hundred of people were able to get the special computer and equipment used to run the game. The ones who were able to were incredibly happy until they realized, while playing it, there was a glitch in the game.

 ** _OR_**

The third idea is a Fullmetal Alchemist story titled **_Kinzoku Jumon._** It is based in the fictional Japanese city of Futatabi set in modern day (and slightly in the equally fictional Chinese town, Zaici). A new game has come out based on the popular anime _Fullmetal Alchemist_. Most players are having fun and not noticing the strange things going on in the game/real world. But there is a small group that is taking notice. The story focuses on a group of players both in and out of the game. It is a bit darker than the Kingdom Hearts story.


	12. Announcement

I would like to apologize for this, and I am truly, truly sorry, but I am going to have to put this on hiatus before I can finish the first arc. I put a temporary halt on this originally due to family issues. Now that after a couple weeks have passed, I have come down with writer's block for this story. I am having trouble writing for it and it is causing me major anxiety. I don't want to, but I am going to put it on hiatus. I will try to finish up the first arc at least before January and plan on having the second arc come out in January, as planned. There are no promises though. I will not give up on this story though. Hopefully this block won't stay for much longer and I am sorry again.

I did however keep to my plan about the poll I originally planned. The poll I had put up on my profile a while back was to vote on the newest story. I would like to announce it was the Kingdom Hearts story, _Kingdom Hearts Debut_. I have published the prologue and am accepting characters until midnight on Halloween (East Coast time). There is no special reward going on for submissions, but if you wish to submit, check out the story. If you enjoy Kingdom Hearts, then I ask that you check it out, at least for critique on the idea. I do plan on having a lot of major canon characters featured also.


End file.
